DMIN (Doctor of Ministry)

DMIN (Doctor of Ministry)

DMIN 710 Leadership and Spiritual Formation - The Inner World of the Leader
4 hours. "Maturity is the willingness to take responsibility for one’s own emotional being and destiny.” - Edwin Friedman. Leadership and Formation begin in the authentic critical evaluation of one’s inner world as it is reflected in one’s daily life practices and passions. This module will provide opportunities for personal assessment and a re-alignment of one’s life rhythms with the development of a Rule of Life in community. The learning community will explore the content and skills needed for experienced Christian leaders to personally and relationally thrive throughout a lifetime. Additional course fee may be required.

DMIN 713 Introduction to Research and Resources1 hour. Introduces the tools for study and research in spiritual formation and leadership. This will include orienting students to the resources of both campuses (George Fox University's Murdock Learning Resource Center, Portland Center library, Internet presence and capacities, etc.), as well as how to use electronic communication and software tools effectively in research. Additional course fee may be required.

DMIN 716 Customized Course I3 hours. In this cornerstone course, students develop two learning plans under the supervision of an assigned faculty advisor. First, they produce a customized course learning plan that identifies and offers a rationale for their educational and ministry goals, research specialization, and four field-research experiences. Second, students produce a module learning plan that proposes a module reading list, a first field-research experience, and a description of the academic essay. Following faculty-advisor approval, students complete the course reading, engage the field-research experience, and write the academic essay in keeping with the stated goals of their learning plans.

DMIN 717 Engaging Leadership Concepts2 hours. An interactive course that engages students in synchronous and asynchronous online interaction. The purpose of the course is to provide a forum in which students hone each other's thinking about one's role and philosophy of leadership. Additional course fee may be required.

DMIN 720 Leadership and Spiritual Formation - Historical and Biblical Perspectives of Leadership Formation
4 hours. “Spirituality is not primarily about values and ethics, not about exhortations to do right or live well. The spiritual traditions are primarily about reality...an effort to penetrate the illusions of the external world and to name its underlying truth.” - Parker J. Palmer. Leadership and Formation require an engagement with the historical and biblical footprints of spiritual leaders and texts. This module will expose the learning community to relevant biblical and historical texts on leadership and spiritual formation in order to expand imagination and critical thinking about the nature and expression of leadership and formation. Each person will explore the writings and life of a spiritual leader of a faith movement and a renowned Christian mystic, saint, or justice leader. Additional course fee may be required.

DMIN 723 Research Topic/Literature Review1 hour. The process of developing a topic proposal for the dissertation and for completing a foundational review of literature in support of the topic. Additional course fee may be required.

DMIN 726 Customized Course II3 hours. In this course, students refine their customized course learning plan developed in the first module and produce a second module learning plan that proposes a new module reading list, a second field-research experience, and a description of the next academic essay. Students then complete the course reading, engage the field-research experience, and write the academic essay in keeping with the stated goals of their learning plans. Faculty advisors supervise, approve, and evaluate all coursework.

DMIN 727 Developing Leadership Strategies3 hours. An interactive course that engages students in synchronous and asynchronous online interaction. The purpose of this course is to refine one's thinking about effective leadership and to help students clarify a learning plan that embodies specific strategies for one's ministry context.

DMIN 728 Spirituality and Leadership3 hours. A course on personal spiritual formation. Students are challenged by the reading and writing assignments to reflect on what it means to be a leader after the manner of Jesus Christ with a view toward establishing a "Christ-centeredness" to one's understanding of leadership. Additional course fee may be required.

DMIN 730 Leadership and Spiritual Formation - Processes and Principles of Systemic Transformation
4 hours. “I believe we are here on the planet Earth to live, grow up and do what we can to make this world a better place for all people to enjoy freedom.” Rosa Parks. Leadership and Formation are fundamentally geared towards resilient and systemic change in tune with the kingdom purposes of God. This module will engage the learning community with current research on the physical, relational, cultural, and spiritual complexities of transformation processes. Each person will create a contextualized model for transformation which solves a specific need for change in a community system. Additional course fee may be required.

DMIN 733 Designing a Research Model1 hour. The process of developing a design proposal for the dissertation. Additional course fee may be required.

DMIN 736 Customized Course III3 hours. In this course, students refine their customized course learning plan developed in the first module and produce a third module learning plan that proposes a new module reading list, a cross-cultural field-research experience, and a description of the next academic essay. Students then complete the course reading, engage the cross-cultural field-research experience, and write the academic essay in keeping with the stated goals of their learning plans. Faculty advisors supervise, approve, and evaluate all coursework.

DMIN 737 Thinking Globally and Leading Locally2 hours. An interactive course that engages students in synchronous and asynchronous online interaction. An interactive course in which students explore how, specifically, their cross-cultural experiences will impact their practice of leadership in their particular ministry context. Students will also be challenged to consider how they might modify their learning plan developed in Module Two to incorporate these new insights. Additional course fee may be required.

DMIN 740 Leadership and Spiritual Formation - Cultural, Artistic, and Global Engagement
4 hours. “So every day I was surrounded by the beautiful crying forth of the ideas of God” - Mary Oliver. Leadership and Formation flourish in the soil of creativity, culture, and engagement with the world. This module will explore the impact of art, culture, social media, and the environment on healthy leadership and authentic formation. The learning community will actively experience the formational value of differing cultures, artistic expressions, and engagement with justice concerns. Each person will develop a creative or active skill which requires involvement with a different culture or engagement with the environment and justice concerns.

DMIN 743 Writing the Dissertation1 hour. The process of research and writing in preparing the dissertation. Additional course fee may be required.

DMIN 746Customized Course IV3 hours. In this course, students finalize their customized course learning plan developed in the first module and produce a final module learning plan that proposes a new module reading list, a fourth field-research experience, and a description of the next academic essay. Students then complete the course reading, engage the field-research experience, and write the academic essay in keeping with the stated goals of their learning plans. Faculty advisors supervise, approve, and evaluate all coursework.

DMIN 747 Distilling a Dream for Leadership in the Emerging Culture3 hours. An interactive course that engages students in synchronous and asynchronous online interaction. This course functions to distill a vision or "dream" for leadership that arises out of the student's theology of leadership and that guides his or her thinking in the final formulation of the dissertation.

DMIN 748 Spiritual Leadership in Christian Community3 hours. A course on community spiritual formation. Students are challenged to reflect on the essential intermingling of leadership and spiritual formation in corporate Christian contexts and to consider that the primary objective of "spiritual leadership" is community spiritual formation. Students seek to articulate the specific ways community spiritual formation will be actualized in their particular ministry contexts. Additional course fee may be required.

DMIN 795 Special Study in Doctor of Ministry1 to 3 hours. An individualized course of research, involving in-depth study of a particular question, problem, or issue. The student must make application for the study prior to registration for the semester in which the study will be carried out. The application must be approved by the faculty member overseeing the study and the department director.